Silhouette Media-Tattoo Temporary Tattoo Paper

I use this tattoo paper for all my cosplays. But it’s only good if you have the right printer. I always end up laser printing my designs onto the glossy side at a nearby Staples, but when I first started out it took me an entire day to figure out what Staples by my location would have the right kind of laser printer, and they weren’t sure what the right settings were at first. Once you get all that down, it becomes pretty seamlessly easy to use!

I bought this because my kiddo loves both drawing and temporary tattoos, so then I was a little disappointed when all of the instructions were about using an inkjet printer. But we did some experiments, and the good news is that you can make your tattoos freehand with permanent markers, too!We found that you can just draw on the shiny side of the white paper, and then follow the directions as usual. Washable kid markers transferred to the tattoo material successfully, but then the ink came off the tattoo after (say) washing your hands a couple of times. So permanent markers seem to be the best bet. We just stayed away from any writing to avoid having to draw backwards letters.The kit’s instructions are geared toward making a full 8.5 x 11 sheet of tattoos at a time. We settled on holding the two sheets (the green and the white) together and cutting out very roughly 2” squares or rectangles—this way a kid can make just a couple of tattoos at a time, and at least in our house it helped to limit the artworks to a more “standard temporary tattoo” size. Drawing the tattoo in pencil on the white paper before switching to permanent markers can help avoid wasting any of the material.Otherwise we stuck to the instructions: design goes on the glossy side of the white paper, peel the clear plastic layer off of green backing, apply that sticky clear layer on top of your design, and then give a good firm press to rub out any bubbles. Once or twice we picked up a bit of the sticky layer when trying to remove the thin clear film just prior to applying a tattoo, and in those cases just rubbing the plastic firmly a bit more usually fixed it. When you’re about to apply the tattoo the film that comes off should be thin and a little brittle-feeling, just as usual with temporary tattoos.This morning my little one’s off to school with a custom tattoo for a friend (packed in a plastic snack bag), which is super fun!

Mostly washed off the next day and was a bit sticky. Remember to wait for the ink to dry when you print.

For the price, you can't complain—it definitely did its job! I used it to make fun little tattoos for an event and some bachelorette stickers. Ordering a set of these would have cost over three times as much. I didn’t change any printer settings, just did a test print and then followed the directions, and the papers printed easily. The rest of the application was just as simple! They turned out a little blurry, but still super cute!

I don't understand why this item would be shipped in a way that causes the paper inside to arrive bent and completely dented.On a positive note, the tattoo paper works well.

OVERALL: Great product! Will last you well over a day, even through brushing against people and repeated movement. It was very simple to use. For all my future temporary tattoo needs, I would purchase this product again.PROS: The process to print out a tattoo was very straightforward. I recommend test printing on regular sheets of paper to make sure you know which side your printer will print the image. There is a glossy and a matte side, and you want to print your image on the glossy side. Print it with your printer's photo settings (I didn't and it turned out fine, but it is recommended by the manufacturer). Instructions recommend an inkjet printer, but I used an office laserjet printer and it worked just as well. Once you print your image, wait until the ink has dried and then very carefully apply the adhesive film to the sheet. This is how your tattoo will stick to your skin. With extra help, I was able to do it with minimal air bubbles. Application was a BREEZE. With a damp towel, I applied the tattoo and it transferred to my skin instantaneously. No slip and slide like with some other temporary tattoos. Just make sure your towel is generously soaked with water. Once applied, it was still a little sticky but after airdrying, it didn't budge!CONS: ONLY COMES WITH TWO SHEETS! I thought it came with at least four, which is what I needed, but I didn't read quite as closely as I should have before purchasing. Ended up working out fine for my situation, but for those looking to test print tattoos or have larger pieces they need to print, buy multiple! For a full sleeve application, the paper is stiff. Make sure either with your print or your cut that you account for the curve of your arm. Don't try to apply the full sheet to your arm. Otherwise, it may not apply straight-on. When printing with a laserjet, you may find that upon application, some of your ink will still peel up off the sheet. Spots of my black ink came up when I peeled the plastic film, but it wasn't that noticeable when I applied it to the skin. Also, this thing is really effective at staying put. After a full-day's wear, I went to shower and take it off. Like the directions said, I used warm water and soap. Since I had a full sleeve, I removed it in the shower and used a loofah. It hardly peeled. I had to scrub really hard to get it to start to come off, but since I had a full sleeve, it started to tug at my arm's peach fuzz (which was a little painful). At that point, my arm started to get red. It's been two days and there are still little bits and pieces remaining on my arm.